BLUFFTON, SC () – The Bluffton Town Council is advancing with a strategic plan designed to meet the growing need for healthcare services and housing options in their community.

During a special meeting held on Tuesday, the council approved three significant motions aimed at facilitating the development of 120 affordable housing units for healthcare workers. These multi-family residences are primarily intended for those coming to work at the new Beaufort Memorial facility currently under construction near Buckwalter Parkway.

“Beaufort County initially purchased the property and subsequently donated it to the hospital,” noted Bluffton Town Manager Stephen Steese. “The land was originally zoned for commercial use. Our role is to grant the residential zoning rights necessary to proceed with building the housing units.”

The council’s plan is also expected to take multiple acres of land off the market for commercial development.

“They’re going to donate back whatever commercial they don’t need,” Steese said. “That commercial will come back so it can’t be built some place in the future. So, we’re still trying to restrict how much growth can occur in the future.”

To qualify for affordable housing, households can make up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

In Bluffton, that’s just about $61,000 for a single person and about $88,000 for a family of four.

“Who it’s targeted for are those who would struggle to find affordable housing in the Lowcountry area, and those would be your first responders,” President & CEO of Beaufort Memorial Hospital Russell Baxley said. “As we grow obviously as a community, as a county, and as a town, you need this infrastructure to support that, and it’s hard to recruit to this area if those that you’re recruiting can’t afford to live here.”

The second reading of the motions that were approved Tuesday will be in August.

Then, the project will have to go through the Planning Commission, with the goal of beginning construction by October.